User blog:MakiZanaX13/Mary Sues and Gary Stus
Hi all, it's me again! Alright the reason I'm creating this blog post is to notify everyone on this wiki about one of the most common issues that people, as authors, have on the internet in their daily lives: Mary Sues and Gary Stus. What is a Mary Sue/Gary Stu? Basically a Mary Sue is a female original character, with a Gary Stu being the male equivalent, created by one's mind like they do with most original characters. However in comparison to a really good OC, they are often created by people new to the internet or sometimes by experienced authors either they do it on accident since they already used so many details for other characters or on purpose just to troll people for the fun of it. But not just new or experienced authors do it, many people in the world do it. And if you don't think carefully you may very well be wound up with one of your own! Examples There's a huge variety of Mary Sues/Gary Stus throughout the entire world and are very easy to expose. For newcomers it maybe a little difficult to figure what they are since they have little experience. Here's an example of a Mary Sue in Kingdom Hearts that I thought up. Sorry if some on here don't know what KH is: Crystal is the younger sister of Leon and looks like a spitting image of their mother. Everybody, friends or not, admire her like a precious gem and looks up to her as an idol because she's top of her class and has exceptional grades. However during the Heartless attack 10 years ago in Radiant Garden, she was forced to separate from her family and live on Destiny Island by living with Kairi as her half sister. There, they meet Sora and Riku who fell in love with Crystal upon their first meeting. When Kairi and Riku went missing, Crystal was devastated due to the fact she lost more of her loved ones. She decides to tag along with Sora to find them when she realised she was one of the Chosen Ones to save the worlds. For basic combat Crystal's personal weapon is the notorious Gunblade. She's excellent with long-ranged battle but always needs saving when in close range. Besides weilding such a powerful weapon, she is also invested with powerful magic with some that can heal all wounds or bring people back to life in a blink of an eye. Ahem I apologize for the long description, I always go into detail when that happens. It's a bad habit of mine. How to point out if your character is a Mary Sue/Gary Stu Now with Crystal as a good example, there are points you have to consider on when creating your original character: *Did you create your character by using your own name? *Did you ever fantasize about being that character? *Is your character's attire based on the clothes from your own wardrobe? *Is your character based on someone you know in real life i.e. your sibling, your parent, your friend, your teacher or even yourself? *Did you base your character on a canon character you like from a specific fandom i.e. Death the Kid from Soul Eater or North Italy from Hetalia: Axis Powers? Is this even related to Inazuma Eleven? In a word: Yes. It's not just Kingdom Hearts, Soul Eater or Hetalia: Axis Powers but every fandom out there has at least one or more Mary Sues/Gary Stus and Inazuma Eleven is no exception! I've recently wondered around the IE anime category on FanFiction and saw a fic that's been up since the beginning of this year and spotted several characters listed as good Mary Sues. I'll even give you guys hints: First Character: Name: Endou Junko - Dude! You literally took Endou's VA's first name! Personality (I'll only take a small part to be safe): also has a dark sinister side that doesn't like loosing - *cough*Fubuki much*cough*cough* Skill: Has a good sense of direction even in the dark - Really? Most people in the world are very uncoordinated, that's what makes them a good person. Other: Better at everything than Endou does - Oh Mah God, girl! Endou's the main character! Your actually on planning to take his position?! Okay one point for you, that makes your character a Mary Sue. Next! Second Character: Name: Miyazaki Asuka - Um there is a canon character WITH that first name, you know! Personality: a perfectionist - your kidding me, right? Flaws: Tends to get pretty mad if she can't do whatever she wanted to - there's a thing called "limitation", you know. Other: She's famous for her art - not everybody has to be famous! Next! Name: Krypton Zonex - Huh? Krypton's the name of a fictional planet that exists! Appearance: Has turquoise eyes fringed with black lashes which are huge enough to make Fidio Aldena wonder! - I'm really going insane... Skill: She's a skilled swimmer and can make most any kind of craft. *So true, its a useless talent but true.* She's also very athletic so she can handle any new activity with ease. Okay, stop! STOP! Everything I see related to these is driving me up the wall! But like I said earlier, it's also common in Inazuma Eleven since a majority of writers are people who don't have a sense of creativity. The Litmus Test If your that concerned about your own characters becoming a Mary Sue/Gary Stu I suggest you take a test known as the "Litmus test" which determines your character's position. If your planning to take the test, then do it. I'm not forcing you. It's your decision if you want your character to be a Mary Sue/Gary Stu or not. But as you do the test PLEASE read carefully and thoroughly through the questions. Most people don't tend to and get freakishly high scores! Earlier when I've listed some questions, they technically appear in most tests you see. Any tests work, just avoid the questions that don't relate to your character. Signature I apologize for this seriously long blog post (not to mention it's my second one) but I just wanted everyone on this wiki to be aware of the situations we authors have on the net that deal with Mary Sues and Gary Stus. Well that's it. Guess I'll sign out from here. And if anyone's feel like taking the Litmus test then good luck! Regards, Maki --MakiZanaX13 (talk) 11:16, December 16, 2012 (UTC) Category:Blog posts Category:Blog posts